My goal for nosquareinch.com is that it would be a place where ideas can be presented openly and honestly. I've asked my friend Nate to post when he has time and present his ideas on life, faith, and whatever else comes to mind. You can check out more of Nate's work at natekohrs.com.
I recently read an article about something referred to as ‘The Great Pacific Garbage Patch’. If you’re not familiar with this, it’s essentially what the name implies; a giant mass of trash (mostly plastic) floating somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. There are a lot of pictures online of the patch, and they’re all quite terrifying and, for me, guilt inducing (perhaps rightfully so) as I begin to visually pick out some pieces of trash roughly recognizable as being painfully similar to things I discard on a regular basis. But the thing that struck me most while reading about the patch is the fact that the vast majority of it’s mass is not visible. Most of the plastic particulate is microscopic and lingering below the surface of the water; like an iceberg of plastic I suppose, where you can only see a small portion of the evil lurking beneath the surface.
As I read more about The Patch, I am finding that though the plastic will continue to break into smaller and smaller bits, it will never actually dissolve into its constituent chemical pieces… i.e. it will never stop being plastic. Microscopic organisms will ingest it, larger organisms will ingest them, fish will ingest them and so on, until inevitably the plastic ends up on some rich persons $150 plate of sustainably sourced wild salmon tartare.
Now before Jeremy revokes my ability to post, citing reasons of environmental quackery, let me get to my main question: Do some things never go away? And I’m not just talking polyethylene here… What about things we do? What about words we say? Is Russell Crowe right in Gladiator when he says, “what we do in life echoes in eternity”? (I know he’s totally badass in that movie regardless, but is he right??)
That question sits heavy with me, mostly because I think the answer is 'yes'. As a driven and work focused person (I’m a composer and musician) I have to admit that I desire to create something that lasts beyond my own lifetime. Something bigger than myself. I think that if we are all honest, we can probably admit that we have an internal desire to somehow live beyond the span of our own time on this earth.
Some people start families so that their name and DNA will continue on long after they themselves are gone. Some create artwork in a desire to connect with others on an emotional level in a way that transcends generations and culture. Some people leave a lasting legacy in the relationships they foster so that their heart and intentions will be repeatedly reflected in the lives of others. And of course, some people leave a legacy of brutality, bigotry and hatred that garners them morbid notoriety that continues well after they’ve expired. All of these examples seem to point toward the idea that there is something innately human about wanting to last... wanting to matter. Wanting our time and existence to count for something.
As a human I'm stuck with a failing body in a crumbling world, but as a Christian, I can't help but see this inborn desire as a sort of longing for the eternal. A spiritual stretch toward my true self... a self that isn't subject to the finiteness that I'm inexorably shackled to. My time on earth, significant though it may be, is merely a chance for me to begin to define who the Eternal Me really is.
It seems clear that our lives do have an inevitable ripple-effect. Whether its a plastic bag that eventually ends up being plated up at Per Se (a fancy pants restaurant in New York that I really felt would drive home my ‘we all eventually reap what we sow’ point) , or a painting sitting in the Louvre adored by millions for generations to come, or a life-example we set that instills a seed of inspiration in someone who then goes on to change the world (either for good or for evil), everything we do has a repercussion. Everything counts. That really makes me want to make good music, say good words, live a good life, and maybe throw away fewer plastic bags.